Kent State Baseball Travels To Texas For Three-Game Set Against Houston
KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES (8-6, 0-0)
AT
HOUSTON COUGARS (9-9, 0-0)
Friday, March 18 • 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 19 • 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 20 • 3 p.m.
COUGAR FIELD • HOUSTON, TEXAS
NOTE: There will be no Kent State Internet radio broadcasts for the Houston series. A link to the Houston Internet radio feed is provided above. The Kent State Baseball Network returns with Ty Linder on the call next weekend (March 25-27) as the Flashes take on Toledo.
PROBABLE PITCHING STARTERS
Friday, March 18
Kent State: #39 Andrew Chafin (R-So., LHP, Wakeman, Ohio) 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 GS, 19.2 IP, 19 SO, 5 BB
Houston: #33 Mo Wiley (Jr., RHP, Katy, Texas) 0-1, 6.14 ERA, 1 GS, 7.1 IP, 4 SO, 4 BB
Saturday, March 19
Kent State: #5 Kyle Hallock (Jr., LHP, Sandusky, Ohio) 2-2, 2.25 ERA, 4 GS, 24.0 IP, 17 SO, 9 BB
Houston: TBD
Sunday, March 20
Kent State: #37 David Starn (Jr., LHP, Hudson, Ohio) 2-1, 2.25 ERA, 4 GS, 24.0 IP, 17 SO, 9 BB
Houston: TBD
THE STORYLINES
• The Kent State baseball team earned its first midweek victory of the 2011 campaign, posting a 10-7 victory Wednesday (March 16) over host Pittsburgh in the first ever game at Charles L. Cost Field at the Petersen Sports Complex.
The Golden Flashes reached double digits in hits for the fourth time this season with 15 as every Kent State starter collected a hit for the first time since May 28, 2010, against Eastern Michigan. Freshman second baseman Derek Toadvine (Springfield, Ohio) matched his career high by going 3-for-4 with a triple, three RBIs and two stolen bases to lead the offensive onslaught. Sophomore center fielder Evan Campbell (Beloit, Ohio) and redshirt junior left fielder Joe Koch (Youngstown, Ohio) each added two singles while junior first baseman Travis Shaw (Washington Court House, Ohio) went 2-for-4 with a triple.
• Kent State junior shortstop Jimmy Rider (Venetia, Pa.) has hit safely in all 14 of Kent State's games so far this season and owns a 16-game hitting streak dating back to the 2010 campaign. He went 2-for-4 in last Sunday's game at Louisville and currently ranks second on the team in batting average (.391) and hits (18) and is tied for the team lead with three doubles. Rider laid down a bunt single in the sixth inning of Kent State's victory at Pittsburgh Wednesday (March 16). He posted a .417 batting average and a .417 slugging percentage with five hits, one RBI, two runs scored and two doubles over three games of the Caravelle Resort Classic last weekend in Conway, S.C. The junior shortstop posted a single in Friday's 2-0 win over No. 24 Coastal Carolina, led the Golden Flashes with a 2-for-4 performance with one RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 7-1 victory over UAB and recorded a double and a single to lead the team in Sunday's game against Notre Dame. Rider is now batting .397 on the season, leads the team with five doubles, is tied for the team lead with 23 hits, is second on the team with two triples and is third on the team with 10 RBIs.
•The work of Kent State's pitching staff helped propel the Golden Flashes to a 2-1 record at the Caravelle Resort Classic in Conway, S.C., last weekend, as the squad blanked host No. 24 Coastal Carolina, 2-0, on Friday (March 11) and took down UAB, 7-1, Saturday (March 12).
Kent State's arms allowed just two earned runs on 16 hits and five walks while striking out 25
over 27 innings.
The Flashes rode the arms of redshirt sophomore left-handed starting pitcher Andrew Chafin (Wakeman, Ohio) and senior righthanded reliever Justin Gill (Canton, Ohio) to a 2-0 win Friday over No. 24 Coastal Carolina. Chafin, who upped his record to 2-0 in three starts and has not allowed a run this season, earned the mound triumph after fanning six while allowing four hits and two walks over seven innings. He sat down the side in order in three of those frames. Gill was credited with his first save of the season after sitting down
the side in order in both the eighth and the ninth innings.
The offensive production in Saturday's 7-1 win over UAB supported a strong pitching performance
by senior left-handed starting pitcher Kyle Hallock (Sandusy, Ohio), who matched his career high of eight strikeouts. The lone run he was charged with was unearned and he scattered seven hits with just one walk over seven innings. Hallock improved his record to 2-2 on the season. Junior righty Ryan Mace (Tallmadge, Ohio) worked the final two frames, striking out one and surrendering two hits.
•On Sunday, junior left-handed starting pitcher David Starn (Hudson, Ohio) baffled Notre Dame's offense through eight innings, but the Fighting Irish scored two in the top of the ninth inning to defeat the Golden Flashes, 2-0. Starn was nothing short of dominant and had a no-hitter going until Notre Dame senior right fielder Herman Petzold cracked a two-out single to center in the top of the eighth. The southpaw fanned 10 batters – matching Kent State's season-high for strikeouts established by Chafin March 4 at Louisville – and surrendered just one walk in eight innings. He now sports a season ERA of 0.93 with 26 strikeouts through 29 innings of work. Starn has allowed just four runs – three earned -- and 13 hits and five walks in 2011. Starn was named Mid- American Conference East Division Pitcher of the Week Tuesday (March 15 for the second time this season for his efforts.
The Golden Flashes sport a team ERA of 2.20, allowing just 94 hits and 40 walks to go along with 87 strikeouts in 2011.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Flashes play two midweek games next week, taking on Louisville Tuesday (March 22) and Xavier Wednesday (March 23) before squaring off against Toledo (March 25-27) in the Mid-American Conference and home opening series for the team at Olga A. Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium.
